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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163597">Hulder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashYatt/pseuds/TrashYatt'>TrashYatt</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Sun &amp; Moon | Pokemon Sun &amp; Moon Versions</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Lonashipping, Norwegian Folklore, Scandinavien Folklore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 00:27:11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,772</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163597</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TrashYatt/pseuds/TrashYatt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A Hulder is said to be a secudtive and beautiful young women, though, her apparence may fool you once their tail is noticed. She's a fable, or a fairie, more commonly known as an "Elf". The Hulder is very different from a traditional elf, and has also been compared to a mermaid aka Siren. Some even have dubbed a Hulder for a "siren of land" due to her beautiful song and music. They are also said to be hardbringers of death, and seeing one may give you bad luck for etenrity. </p><p>In Gladion's case, he was the bad luck this time...</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Gladio | Gladion &amp; Mizuki | Selene (Pokemon Sun &amp; Moon)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Hulder</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Tales of humanoid creatures have been around for centuries, but they are mostly man made for children, scaring them in order to follow orders and obey their parents, staying out of “trouble”. Every region has their own folklore with their “fairies” or “fables”, though, most of them started in Galar, slowly making their way to the many other regions, with their own differences. The most well known of the fables would be the “Elf” or “Elves”. These humanoid creatures are said to have magic abilities, drawing them from the earth itself. They also come with a variety of names and natures.</span>
</p><p>Gladion were young the first time he saw a so-called “elf”, and was mesmerized. Playing in the nearby forest to one of his and his sisters friends, he decided to walk further into the woods, following a small river that ended with a waterfall. Behind the waterfall, he could see a human figure, though, not being able to see them fully, the figure being hidden and disfigured by the water falling in front of them. Staring with awe, he hid behind a nearby tree, thinking he would catch a glimpse of who it was. Believing at the time it would be an adult he most likely knew.</p><p>The more he stared, the more the figure seemed to disappear, and eventually was nowhere to be seen. Snapping out of the confusion by Lillie and their mutual friend, the trio went back to the property and kept on playing games. Gladion eventually forgot as the games went on, and then the years passed.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
That was the first time he saw a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
The second time he saw one was in his early teens. Being angsty and rebellious, he had figured at the time that the forest would be a good place to hide. Finding a secluded place by a waterfall, he sat down and kept listening to the music he had on, not paying any attention to his surroundings. Tapping his foot alongside the beat, staring at the water and the few fishes that swam around, a female figure appeared behind him, which startled him when she spoke.</p><p>«What does a human boy do around these parts?» she asked in a playful tone.</p><p>
  <span>Gladion ripped the earbuds out of his ears, flinching and looking up behind him at the strange female. Being stunned, he just kept staring at her, swallowing thickly and tried to find fitting words.</span>
</p><p>«Do not fret, human. I mean no harm.» she added gently, turning around and started to walk away.</p><p>Gladion watched her, and eyed her down. His eyes grew wide when he was a tail, gasping rather loudly. «Y-you have a t-tail…?» he stuttered before covering his mouth, his face going as white as it could.</p><p>The female giggled and turned. «Why of course i do. Why wouldn’t i?» she asked, having a sweet smile across her lips.</p><p>Her smile were soft and gentle, as well as her eyes, sparkling from the reflection of the waterfall, which made him lower his guard. Her carelessness made him think that she couldn’t be of any harm, uncovering his mouth. She kept standing there, her hands behind her back and her tail gently swaying from side to side. Paying too much attention to the swaying of her tail, she gently bowed down, meeting his eyes. </p><p>Her eyes were slitted like a cats, and whenever she tilted her head, it changed size. «W-what are you!?» he asked, sounding rather harsh and pointed at her, clutching hard to his phone, where the music were still playing on.</p><p>She giggled softly. «I’m a Hulder.» she replied sweetly.</p><p>«What’s a “Hulder”?» he asked instantly.</p><p>The Hulder stood back up, folding her arms and though for a second. «I’m surprised you humans don’t know about us….hmm...» she said, pausing for a minute. «If i do recall...I’m sure you humans call us “Elves” or an “Elf”.» she added, tilting her head.</p><p>«An Elf?...As far as I can recall an Elf doesn't have a tail...» he hissed, now believing that she were just a strange girl from the nearby village, playing around.</p><p>«Is that what other humans have told you?» she said, sounding taken aback and a little upset. «I do not know what elf you have been hearing about, but we elves do definitely have a tail.» she added, giving him a mischievous look, which he didn’t notice.</p><p>It seemingly went back and forth between them, Gladion proving his point that elves shouldn’t have a tail and have long pointy ears. At least that’s what all the fairytales had been saying, despite knowing that a fairytale does not have facts in them. The Hulder seemed annoyed and shrugged after a while.</p><p>«You humans have the strangest tales of them all. I’m surprised that your kind is still living.» she said, walking towards him.</p><p>Gladion got up on his feet instantly, ready for a fight if needed, but she just passed him, slapping him in his face with the end of her tail. Wiping his face a few times with his sleeves, he looked over his shoulder, thinking that she would be standing there, giggling and smiling at him. But she was nowhere to be seen, but a soft song could be heard. Looking around the lake, he noticed that the song were coming from behind the waterfall, which gave him the shivers, creeping him out. Making sure that the song were still going on as he left, he hurried off from the place, going back to civilization. Years then passed again, though, this time he didn’t fully forget about the strange encounter.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
That was the second time he met a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Having moved from the region, trying to start his own life in a different one, he did visit his home on occasion. This time, he figured a walk would clear his mind after months of unfortunate turbulence. Without knowing where he went, he stumbled upon the very same lake and waterfall. Soft humming, followed with a few words could be heard, and the closer he got, his eyes grew wide once again.</p><p>There she was. The Hulder. Sitting dangerously close to the waterfall, letting her fingers run through her long, wet hair. Eying her down, he noticed her tail gently laying beside her. Seeing it, he couldn’t help himself as he let a soft chuckle out, which caught her attention.</p><p>«Good day, human.» she said sweetly. «It’s been an awful long time.» she added just as sweetly.</p><p>Gladion approached and hummed. «It has indeed.» he replied, which took the Hulder off guard.</p><p>«Oh my, you voice certainly has changed a lot, human.» she said in utter surprise. She did recognize him, as he hadn’t changed much, but his voice had gotten quite a darker.</p><p>Seeing her surprise, he chuckled softly. «Considering that you apparently know a lot about humans, i’m surprised you didn’t know a human male’s voice would change at some point.» he said with a cheeky smile.</p><p>She gave him a playful scoff. «The audacity of some humans...» she said, giving him a playful side glanze. «I do know a fair bit about humans, but do not think i know everything.» she added.</p><p>«May i have a seat, miss Hulder?» he asked, lightly bowing to her.</p><p>«I do not own this rock, so i assume that will be alright.» she replied.</p><p>«As sweet and gentle as always...» he muttered softly to himself.</p><p>Getting to her side and sitting down, he didn’t hesitate to ask a lot of questions about her kind. She were more than happy to answer him, but he noticed that she were hiding something, which made him push some questions more often, to the point that she snarled at him.</p><p>«Do watch your tongue, human! I’m happy to reply to your questions, but there are certain things i’m not allowed to answer.» she snarled, followed by a scoff.</p><p>«I see...My apologies.» he replied to her, giving her a gentle bow. «And may i ask why you ain’t allowed to answer certain questions of mine?»</p><p>
  <span>«Because the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Devil</span>
  </em>
  <span> himself is always listening. I can assure you that you do not want him around.» she replied with a hiss.</span>
</p><p>Hearing the word Devil made his eyes go wide, instantly looking around themselves. While they had been chatting, she were slowly braiding her hair, putting a few flowers in the braid as she finished. She sighed softly, adding that the Devil is always listening, and is someone he clearly didn’t want to meet.</p><p>«What do you mean by that?» he asked, swallowing thickly.</p><p>«Because he’s mischievous...and that’s all i can say i’m afraid.» she replied gently. She then perked up, looking around the two before she instantly got up on her feet. «I’m afraid you need to leave now, human.» she said, grabbing the sleeves and tugged hard.</p><p>Gladion got up on his feet in a hurry, but being confused at the sudden change, he kept standing there, looking at her. «What is going on?»</p><p>«The Devil...» she muttered and pushed him away, gesturing for him to leave. «Leave. Now.» she hissed.</p><p>Being confused, he left but kept looking over his shoulder. As soon as the lake was out of sight, he stopped and looked behind himself. Only then did he notice that the birds that had been chirping had stopped, and the forest were all silent. Giving him the creeps, he hurried off back to civilization, but he couldn’t forget about what she said about this other creature she called the Devil.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
That was the third time he met a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Keeping himself in his home region, he kept himself away from the forest a few days before venturing into it again, going to the lake and waterfall. Again, the closer he got, the louder the humming and song became and he knew already who it was. The moment he saw her, he found himself mesmerised, and couldn’t put words into why. He just stood there, staring at her sitting close by the waterfall, minding her own business. Taking a few steps forward, she instantly asked him.</p><p>«What do you seek, human?» she asked, her voice overly tame and underwhelming.</p><p>Looking over her, he noticed that her arms were rather bruised and the tip of her tail were gone, covered up by some dirty cloth. «What happened?» he asked, genuinely concerned.</p><p>«What are you talking about? Nothing happened.» she replied, avoiding to look at him.</p><p>Gladion didn’t like the reply and got up to her, instantly kneeling down to her level and grabbed her tail, lifting it up and waiving it in front of her. «Nothing happened? Where’s the tuft of this tail of yours?» he asked harshly.</p><p>She flinched and lightly winched in pain, turning her face towards him and grabbed her tail, yanking it from his grip. «Do not touch me, human!» she snarled, holding her tail close to her chest and looked away from him again.</p><p>After seeing her face, he gently reached for her chin and just as gently moved her face towards him, getting a better look at her. Half of her face were incredibly bruised, and he could tell it wasn’t from her being clumsy or some random accident. It was clearly that someone did it to her, which made the anger brew within. He started to ask questions to himself, asking if he was the reason she was beaten up. If she had done something wrong that her kind didn’t approve of. </p><p>
  <span>«Did this </span>
  <em>
    <span>Devil</span>
  </em>
  <span> do this to you?» he then asked, having a stern look on his face.</span>
</p><p>«Even if i wanted to, i can not tell you.» she replied meekly, avoiding eye contact. </p><p>«That’s too bad.» he replied, letting go and sat down beside her. Seeing her holding her tail tightly to her chest, he sighed softly. «Sorry about your tail there...»</p><p>«Do not worry. My tail will be fine with some care.» she replied, trying to sound as her usual chipper self.</p><p>It ended up with them sitting there in silence for a few minutes, and Gladion kept looking over at her, who still kept her tail close to her chest. He couldn’t get over the sad look on her face, like she didn’t know what she did wrong, or if she even did something wrong.</p><p>«Why did the Devil do that to you?» he asked, hoping that there would be some clarity as of why she was that harshly beaten up. Not saying anything, she just lightly nodded. «Isn’t there anything you can do to protect yourself?» he then asked, to which she just shook her head at. «Right...» he then muttered, followed by a soft sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.</p><p>«My apologies...but you should leave.» she said. «Please come back in another few days or so...if that eases your mind.» </p><p>«Alright...I’ll be sure to do that, so you better be here then.» he said, getting up on his feet. </p><p>«I will be...» she replied, sounding unhappy.</p><p>Gladion left, but on the way back he figured that he would at least bring some proper bandages and something to clean the wound on her tail with, so it wouldn’t get infected. Knowing that it was this “Devil’s” works made the anger within brew even more, going on what he had been taught while growing up.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
And that was the forth time he met a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
Her words kept going through his mind the next few days, and trying his best to keep away as many days as possible, he couldn’t wait anymore. Grabbing a few things from the first aid kit, he made his way over to the lake, but this time, she didn’t sit in front of the waterfall. She were farther away from it, her legs being in the water, and her hair being loose, gently laying around her on the ground. She wasn't singing this time, but playing on a violin. The tunes she played were beautiful, yet told him that she wasn't all that happy yet, which broke his heart ever so slightly. </p><p>Once she stopped playing, he made his presence known by clearing his throat lightly, then slowly approaching her. «I didn’t know you could play.» he said, sitting down beside her with his legs crossed.</p><p>«Oh, it’s something a Hulder should know, human...» she replied, putting the violin to her side gently.</p><p>«And my name is not “human”, but Gladion.» he replied with a sigh to her.</p><p>«I know.» she replied back, giving him a sweet smile.</p><p>«If you knew, then why not call me by it?» he asked, meeting her eyes. Her eyes were still filled with sadness, despite her sweet smile on her lips.</p><p>«I can only use your name if you allow me to do so.» she said, looking down at his hands, noticing the bandages and cleaning supplies.</p><p>«Well...» he muttered, pausing. «I’ll give you my permission to call me by my name.» he said. «And where’s your tail?» he then added, showing the supplies he had brought with him.</p><p>«You silly, man. My tail is fine.» she said, dragging forward a very much shorter tail than the last time he saw it.</p><p>«It’s...shorter?»</p><p>«Why of course. The end got infected and I needed to amputate it in order to save the rest.» she replied, sounding and looking rather surprised at him. «Your kind does not have a tail and don’t know the pain and stench of a rotting one.»</p><p>He gently grabbed it, laying it down in his lap. Putting the supplies away, he started to undo the rather horrid wrapping she had done, revealing a very bloody and meaty wound beneath it. She didn’t say or do anything. Just keeping a close eye on what he did, and occasionally flinched whenever it stung while he cleaned it.</p><p>«Now that you know my name. What is yours?» he asked. «If you are allowed to tell me yours, that is.»</p><p>«I go by many names...» she started, but got interrupted by him.</p><p>
  <span>«Not those fairy names of yours, but your </span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> name.» he said while gently wrapping the bandages around her tail.</span>
</p><p>She hesitated, but eventually told him. «Luna.» she said softly.</p><p>«Well...It’s a pleasure, Luna.» he said, looking at her with a soft smirk.</p><p>She let out a soft chuckle. «You silly man.» she replied, having a soft gentle smile on her lips.</p><p>Finishing patching up her tail, he handed it over to her again. She thanked him and let it slide in under her hair again, hiding it from sight. She then asked him if he knew how to play violin, which he said he could, adding that his mother forced him to do it when he was young. She then handed him her violin, gesturing for him to play a little.</p><p>«Gosh...i haven’t played in years...» he muttered in embarrassment.</p><p>«Just give it a try. I’m curious.» she said.</p><p>Hesitating, he started to play something simple, just to see if he could remember anything at all. Surprising himself, he continued and Luna were quite impressed, humming alongside his play. He ended up playing for a while, enjoying it after years of not touching a violin, making him consider taking it up again. The play ended when he got a call, handing the instrument back to her and reached for his phone, looking at the caller ID. With a heavy sigh, he excused himself and left, leaving her behind.</p><p>
  <em>
    <span><br/>
<br/>
That was the fifth time he met a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.<br/>
<br/>
</span>
  </em>
</p><p>Gladion ended up being away for a couple of months after the last meeting with the Hulder; Luna. After years of neglecting his own violin, he started to play a little again, just generally practicing. The more he kept playing, the more the image of her came to mind and decided to pay her a visit since it had been a while, and hoping that she wasn’t angry at him for being gone for months and not saying goodbye.</p><p>Arriving in the region, he instantly found his way over to the lake with the waterfall, finding her sitting at the rock as usual, minding her own business. He walked up to her, and she gave him a warm gentle smile once she saw him.</p><p>«Hello, Gladion. It has been a while.» she said cheerfully.</p><p>«It has indeed.» he replied, taking place right beside her.</p><p>There was an unbearable silence between them that he didn’t like, but she eventually broke it with a soft sigh. «Please do not be offended, but i was hoping that you wouldn’t come back.» she said, her tone of voice sounding off.</p><p>«Oh...Why is that?» he asked.</p><p>«Because the Devil has been lurking around more often, and I do not wish him to harm you.» she said, pulling her legs up, resting her chin on her knees. «I know it’s a strange thing to say, and it pains me greatly...But we cannot meet anymore.»</p><p>«May i ask why? Have I been doing something that this “Devil” has been lurking around more?» he asked, looking over at her. </p><p>«No, you have done no harm. It’s me that has done them wrong.» she replied, facing him with a soft smile.</p><p>Being curious, he decided to keep asking, feeling rather attached to this strange female creature beside him. «And what wrong did you do?»</p><p>She let out a soft, sad chuckle. «I forgot my task, and let myself be led astray.»</p><p>«Led astray? I’m not sure I follow here...» he said, letting a sigh escape.</p><p>«I’m a Hulder...i should not get attached.» she said, pausing for a minute. «As a Hulder, my task is to lead humans astray...but it seems I have been played myself.» she finished with a giggle.</p><p>«I still don’t get what you are saying...» he replied, looking quite confused at her.</p><p>Luna got up on her feet and stepped down from the rock, walking away from the waterfall and over to a more silent part of the lake. Gladion followed suit, watching her stop at some bushes and finding her violin. Seeing her finding her instrument, he got even more confused. She walked up to him and presented it to him, and he just kept looking at it, shifting the attention between it and her.</p><p>«Please take it.» she then said. «And keep it safe.»</p><p>Gladion gently took it off her hands, still as confused as ever. «Thank you…?» he said, looking at it. «And why are you giving this to me?» </p><p>«I’m sure you humans like to call it a….parting gift?» she said, thinking hard about it. «Anyway...please keep it safe. And do give it time to adjust, and I'm sure you’ll be able to play beautifully with it.» she added.</p><p>Luna then passed him, and he looked at the violin. The craftsmanship of this instrument were impeccable, something he had never seen. He could tell it was handmade, and the details were carved beautifully into the case, as well as the rather strange coloration of the wood used. Looking up from the instrument and over at her, finding her standing with her feet submerged in the water. </p><p>
  <span>She gave him a soft smile. «Please take care of </span>
  <em>
    <span>my heart</span>
  </em>
  <span>.»</span>
</p><p>
  <span>«What…?» he muttered with a mixture of shock and surprise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As he said it, she were gone. Blinking a couple of times, thinking that his mind were playing tricks on him and that she were still standing there. But she were not. She were gone. Like the wind carries leaves in the soft breeze, her entire being vanished. Looking down at the violin, the strings gave a faint glow. They were so faint that he didn’t notice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the instrument on hand, he walked back and out of the forest, and the first thing he did when he got back to his hotel room were to give the violin a proper cleaning, tuning it properly and making sure the bow were as fine as it could get. After the deep cleanse, he propped it up on his shoulder, and started to play lightly. While playing, he could swear that he heard a woman's singing voice in the distance. It didn’t bother him as he kept on going, letting the notes come naturally, getting lost in thought. The more he kept playing, the faster it went up for him what she meant, feeling his own heart slowly break with each note he kept playing.<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And that was the sixth, and last time he met a </span>
  </em>
  <b>
    <em>Hulder</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span>.</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Some Scandinavien folklore stuff, with a little bit of more fantasy etc in here. From what i have been told growing up is that a Hulder (Huldra) is basically a very beautiful and young looking woman in the troll family. Mischiveious, playful and deadly, as they will lure you to your demise. Some does sing, some does play violin (fiddle), which is also considered the devils instrument. (As of why the devil was mentioned a few times, since he's also named Fossegrimen. (Foss meaning waterfall and Grim (Grimmen) being a very Norwegian word for "devil".)</p><p>I hope you like this dumbfuckery! It was fun writing it and give it some good old folklore.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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